Southwest

Caught in a severe fiscal crisis after energy prices collapsed, Oklahoma is offering $181 million of revenue bonds to keep its highway construction program moving.

State and local governments and showing a wide variety of impacts from the collapse of the oil market that began two years ago, ratings analysts say.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner wants to issue $1 billion of bonds as part of a comprehensive 30-year plan to rein in the city’s ballooning pension liabilities.

Oklahoma’s pension fund investments are among the nation’s worst performers, with some turning negative in the last fiscal year, according to state Treasurer Ken Miller.

Central Texas transportation planning agency is looking into a proposed aerial tramway system in Austin.

With its fiscal year completed Aug. 31, Texas came up 1.3% short of revenue estimates used to budget for fiscal year 2016, state Comptroller Glenn Hegar reported.

Oklahoma Treasurer Ken Miller sees no immediate signs of a turnaround as state revenues fall for the 18th straight month in August.

Bonds for three private prisons in Texas suffered downgrades well below junk-bond status from S&P Global Ratings after the U.S. Department of Justice announced plans to discontinue their use.

Kansas revenues continued to fall below forecast in August, running 2.3% or $10.2 million short of expectations.

The Texas Water Development Board expects the market to quickly absorb its $711 million of top-rated revenue bonds.